


recoupling

by svedone



Category: Love Island (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, TW for anxiety attack, again very self indulgent, basically everything i want in an episode but will probably never get, bobby is my ride or die, i describe it in depth, i maybe should've made separate fics but here we are, shout out to bobby's shirt, there is a lot that happens in this, this fic makes me so soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-08-23 09:44:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20240806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/svedone/pseuds/svedone
Summary: the nerves twisting in your stomach are almost unbearable. you can’t tell if you want to scream, throw up, or sleep for the next week. your hands are incredibly sweaty, and having to wear a swimsuit all day meant there was no way for you to wipe them off on your clothes. the recoupling isn’t for another few hours, so the only thing you can do is pace around the villa, barely stopping by different groups of islanders to chat idly to keep your mind off of the night’s events.both lucas and bobby wanted to recouple with you, and since it was a boys’ choice, there was no way for you to control what was going to happen next.





	recoupling

**Author's Note:**

> back at it again with another soft bobby fic! huge warning for a described anxiety attack. i have generalized anxiety disorder, and because i'm incredibly self indulgent, the descriptions in this fic come from my personal experiences.
> 
> this is a bit of a long one but once i started writing i couldn't stop. enjoy!

the nerves twisting in your stomach are almost unbearable. you can’t tell if you want to scream, throw up, or sleep for the next week. your hands are incredibly sweaty, and having to wear a swimsuit all day meant there was no way for you to wipe them off on your clothes. the recoupling isn’t for another few hours, so the only thing you can do is pace around the villa, barely stopping by different groups of islanders to chat idly to keep your mind off of the night’s events.

both lucas and bobby wanted to recouple with you, and since it was a boys’ choice, there was no way for you to control what was going to happen next. your stomach lurches when you remember the disaster recoupling before casa amor, when lucas chose you out of nowhere and tore you away from bobby. the thought of that happening again makes your current anxiety worsen. the past few days had been full of nothing but drama and stress, with you caught in the middle as a mediator, as per usual. you had managed to keep your anxiety in check during your time in the villa so far, both with the help of the counselors that periodically checked on the islanders and bobby’s calming presence. but the last few days had set you on edge, and the time you had spent away with the only person that knew about your anxiety certainly didn’t help either.

you smile briefly as you think back on when you had first told bobby about it; it had been the middle of the night, and you had barely been able to sleep. he had followed you out to the kitchen in concern when you finally accepted you wouldn’t be able to drift off. he had been so understanding when you told him, explaining that one of his friends that he worked with also had anxiety. to you, it felt like that night had removed a final barrier between the two of you, and now you couldn’t imagine not having that closeness with him.

“babes! come over here!” chelsea’s voice snaps you out of your thoughts. the rest of the islanders had gathered while you had taken some alone time and were now lounging by the pool on the beanbags. they all look over at you expectantly, so you muster up a cheerful face and join them.

after you take a seat on the grass, all the beanbags having been taken, you try joining in on the conversation normally. “what did i miss?”

“recoupling talk, of course,” gary replies, rolling his eyes. “what else would we talk about?” at this, everyone starts talking over each other, slowly getting louder. your head feels like it’s buzzing, and soon you can barely make out what everyone is saying.

_loud, loud, it’s so loud._ you start twisting your fingers in your hands, your sweat making them slip around almost uncontrollably. no one seems to notice, and you were slightly thankful for that. hopefully you would have some time to just breathe a little and relax before anyone would notice how bad you were freaking out. it wasn’t really the recoupling’s fault, but at the same time it was; it had set you on edge to the point where anything overwhelming could send you into an anxiety attack.

thinking about the recoupling was a mistake, and your skin starts to crawl as a result. you begin shaking your head slightly, like you were trying to shake the buzzing out of your head. at this point, you know an attack would be pretty much inevitable, and you can’t imagine a worse time or place to have one.

you glance up to check if anyone has noticed your current state. as far as you can tell, they’re still wrapped up in conversation about tonight—until bobby turns to see your completely panicked face, and his smiling expression quickly changes to one of concern. it was rare that you saw him so serious, but you could barely reflect on that in your panic-stricken state. he moves his head slightly toward the daybeds, and you nod in response, briefly relieved that he understood you needed to be away from the noise.

his motion must have alerted lucas, who’s sat next to you. “hey, you okay?” you know the gesture is in good faith, but the hand he places on your shoulder makes you flinch hard. it tips you over the edge; your skin now feels like it’s being rubbed with sandpaper all over, and your eyes are filling with tears. breath is coming in and out of your lips fast and shallow as your thoughts tumble down into a full-blown anxiety attack.

you stand up as quickly as you can and rush over to one of the daybeds, your fists opening and closing erratically. bobby follows you, and before he can say anything, words are cascading out of your mouth, tripping over each other. despite the fact that your mouth feels dry and cottony, you almost can’t stop yourself talking and trying to explain. “i’m—i’m sorry, so sorry, it’s just—the recoupling—” you feel like you’re choking on your words as they come out, and the fact that you’re now sobbing and basically hyperventilating doesn’t help you speak either. “these past few days have been so stressful.” another sharp breath in and out. “lucas says he wants to pick me,” your eyes squeeze shut and open repeatedly, “and i don’t—i want—i keep telling him no, but he says he deserves a chance since i saved him from being dumped and i—” you’re sobbing too hard to continue, and your rapid breathing makes you feel so lightheaded that you might pass out.

“hey, we’ll figure that out later,” he whispers softly. bobby reaches a hand toward you, and you shake your head violently.

“please don’t touch me, it’s too much, too much,” you choke out.

he quickly retracts his hand and nods. “okay, okay, let’s run through your senses then. we’ll make it a game! if you can get through all of them i’ll make you a hot chocolate, chef bobby style.” you can tell he’s trying his hardest not to freak you out, and if you weren’t currently in the middle of an anxiety attack, you would be incredibly grateful. you nod in response to his proposal. “alright, what can you taste?”

“salt. from how much i’m crying and the salt and vinegar chips i had earlier,” you work out. your breathing is already slowing a bit, both from the mindfulness exercise and from bobby’s presence.

“good, smell?”

“um,” you try to take a deep breath through your nose, which is almost impossible from how much it’s stuffed up from crying. “sun cream, your sun cream. i know it’s yours because it smells so strong since you always put on way too much.”

bobby cracks a smile. “hey, better safe than sorry. what about hearing?”

you strain to listen to the sounds around you. you can hear the water lapping at the edge of the pool from the wind and the islanders talking, though it’s too faint to make out what they’re saying. bobby’s conveniently sat so you can’t see them, and you’re glad, because you know they’re probably all watching. “the water in the pool, and everyone chatting. probably about me,” you mumble.

“touch?”

you slowly move your hands across the daybed’s comforter. it brushes against your fingertips softly, and your skin starts to settle. “how soft this blanket is.”

“you’re doing so good,” he praises, and warmth floods your stomach instead of nerves. “last one, sight?”

you look up to meet his gaze, which is full of care and something that anyone else watching would call love. “you. all i see is you.” and if you could feel what bobby felt in that moment, you’d know how his heart skipped a beat and his chest tightened in happiness.

“looks like i owe you a hot chocolate.” you smile in response. although you still felt a little shaky and nervous, you’re already much better than before. “am i okay to touch you?” you nod, and he wraps his arms around you slowly, giving you the opportunity to push him away if needed. you don’t, and he gives you a long hug before maneuvering the both of you so you’re sitting with your back against his chest between his legs. “i think i’ll sit with you for a bit before getting that drink though, if that’s alright. do you want the blanket?”

“sure,” you murmur, and bobby wraps the comforter around both of you. the feeling of him around you and the steady rhythm of his breathing calms you even further. “i’m sorry for freaking out. i feel so embarrassed that everyone saw that.”

“nah, you’ve got nothing to apologize or be embarrassed for. i was freaking out too. i was worried i’d say the complete wrong thing.”

you shake your head. “you said all the right things, bobby.” he kisses your hair at that before setting his chin on your shoulder. you rest the side of your cheek against his. “i’m still nervous for tonight, but i feel a lot better now. how did you know to do all that?”

he slides one of his hands on top of yours, the other holding the blanket together around the both of you. “the guy i told you about in the kitchen taught me, in case he needed help. and do you want to talk about it? if not, we can just sit for a bit and talk about it later. i’m always here for you.”

you take a few moments to gather your thoughts before speaking. “i just…these past few days have been a lot. it was only a matter of time before this happened. i’m just hoping they don’t make me leave because of this.”

“i don’t think they will. this has probably happened before to loads of people. this place can get to you.” he brushes his thumb across your skin comfortingly. “but if they do, you know i’m walking out right after you.”

“you don’t have to do that,” you whisper, but your heart’s not really in it—you wouldn’t stay if he left, either.

it’s comfortably quiet until he talks again. “so, what were you saying about lucas earlier?” bobby’s voice is suddenly tenser than before, like he’s trying not to let on how angry he is.

you chew your lip nervously, not wanting to cause any unnecessary drama in the villa. “he told me he wants to couple up with me tonight. i told him i wanted to recouple up with you, but he said…well, he said he deserves the same shot you got.” bobby is silent, but you can tell how pissed that’s made him. a notification from your phone stops him before he can say anything more. “one of the therapists is here.”

his anger almost vanishes as he squeezes your hand. “you’ll be fine. and there’ll be a hot chocolate waiting for you when you get back.” bobby unwraps the blanket so you can go inside to talk to one of the show’s therapists.

the talk is briefer than you expect; they ask standard questions about your mental health, assessing whether or not you’re okay to stay on the show. fortunately, you are, and they let you go back out with the promise of talking again. they knew about your anxiety and had thankfully planned accordingly.

when you do walk back out, bobby is waiting for you in the kitchen with a mug of hot chocolate, complete with whipped cream and chocolate syrup. he hands it to you, and you accept it gratefully. “so, how did it go?” he asks as you sip on your drink. it’s amazing as always.

“surprisingly well. obviously, they didn’t kick me out.”

“see? there’s no way they’d make you leave. i bet you’re the only thing between the show and bad ratings,” he jokes. “well, that and my high-class humor. but we’re a package deal, so you go, i go. then the show tanks.” he mimics something falling off a cliff with his hand and makes an explosion sound.

you snort at bobby’s assessment. “you’re totally right. i’m sure everyone watches just so they can hear what horrible pun you’re going to come up with this time.” he holds a hand to his chest like he’s offended, but the huge grin on his face says otherwise. he’s clearly glad at how much better you seem. “hey, can we go back to the daybed? i just want to sit for a bit. also, thank you for the hot chocolate.”

he bows low. “anything for my lady.”

“you’re ridiculous.”

as both of you make your way back to your earlier spot, lucas jogs over. you can see the other islanders watching apprehensively, and your skin prickles with embarrassment at the thought of everyone having seen your earlier breakdown. “hey! could i pull you for a chat real quick?”

before you can give a feeble excuse, bobby steps between the two of you. “yeah, that’s not happening.”

lucas frowns. “last time that i checked, i’m the one in a couple with her, not you. i think i have a right to make sure she’s okay.” the tension in the air between them is palpable, and you can see bobby struggling to put how angry he is into words.

“i’ve told everyone in here how much i hate drama. i almost got into it with you once, and i thought that was enough.” he steps toward lucas. you’re slightly afraid that this will end in a physical fight; you’ve truly never seen bobby this upset before. “clearly it’s not, since you won’t leave her alone, even though you’re the reason she’s upset.”

“she’s the one who chose to couple up with me this time.”

“because she couldn’t pick me.”

“are you certain about that?”

bobby’s jaw clenches. “yeah, i am. because from what i just heard, she keeps telling you no, and you’re not listening. and i think the kiss we had last night means a hell of a lot more than whatever lies you’re telling yourself.”

lucas looks at you in disbelief, and you look away quickly; it wasn’t great to kiss someone while being in a couple with someone else, but you also had made it clear to him before that you wanted to recouple with bobby, not him. lucas shifts his gaze back toward the man standing in front of you. “why am i not allowed the same chance with her that you’ve been given, then?”

“if you have to ask me that, then you really don’t get it.” bobby takes your hand at that. despite how angry he is, his hand in yours is gentle and comforting. “if you pick her tonight at the recoupling, i will never forgive you. never. not after what you’ve put her through.”

lucas stands there awkwardly, looking between you and bobby for a few moments before sulking off to the kitchen. bobby lets out a long breath and turns to you. “let’s go sit now.” you nod and let him lead you over to the daybed. you sit for a few moments before he speaks. “i honestly hated doing that, but it needed to be done.”

you place a comforting hand on his bicep, the other clutching your now-cold hot chocolate. “i could tell you didn’t like that. but…it was kinda hot.”

he looks at you with raised eyebrows. “yeah?”

“yeah. obviously, i would never ask you to go picking fights for me, especially because it makes you uncomfortable, but it felt good knowing you were willing to do that for me.” you take a sip from your drink as he nods. “thank you, by the way. i didn’t really want to talk to him.”

bobby merely wraps an arm around your waist in response. you can see everyone else still down by the pool. they’ve resumed chatting, and by the way a few of them throw glances at you every so often, you can tell they’re talking about you. to distract yourself, you start to talk mindlessly to bobby about anything and everything: your life, your friends, and anything else that comes to mind. he traces shapes on your side with his thumb as you talk, happy to listen rather than speak, and a few times, you swear you feel him trace a heart.

unfortunately, hope gets a text about the recoupling being in exactly an hour. “looks like it’s that time,” bobby says. he gets up first and offers you a hand, which you accept. he also takes the empty mug from your hand. “i’ll see you later, okay?”

“okay.” he smiles one last time at you before he goes into the kitchen, leaving you to head into the villa.

the dressing room is surprisingly quiet as you walk in until chelsea sees you and immediately rushes over. “oh my god, babes, are you alright? we were all, like, so worried! and bobby and lucas, that was totally crazy.”

“chels,” lottie breaks in, crossing her arms. “give her some space.”

she immediately backs off from you. “right, sorry.”

“it’s okay. and i’m a lot better now.” you smile, and chelsea looks relieved that you’re not upset with how all over you she was.

“that’s really good. and chelsea’s right, all of us were really worried about you,” lottie says as she walks over to you. she opens her arms and you accept the hug. soon, all the girls are coming over to join in, echoing what lottie and chelsea have said, and before long you’re in the middle of a giant group hug.

hope’s muffled voice rings out. “we’re always here for you, babe. no matter what.”

once the hug ends, you reply, “thanks, hope. and everyone. it really does mean a lot.” you move to your clothes to sort out your outfit for the night. you decided on a pair of ripped black jeans and a cute top. as you’re folding it up to go take a quick shower, marisol appears beside you. “just so you know, we’re all rooting for you and bobby. we all agreed that what he did today was really admirable.”

you nod, and suddenly jo also comes up and stands on your other side. “i know we haven’t known each other very long, and that i’ve stirred up some drama that you ended up having to deal with, but…on my date with bobby, he made it really clear that his head couldn’t be turned. so, you don’t have to worry about him. just thought you should know.”

you give her a smile, surprised at how candid she’s being with you. she hadn’t exactly taken a liking to you since coming into the villa, so it meant a lot that she was willing to share that with you. “thanks, jo. and you too, marisol. that’s good to hear.” jo moves back to the makeup table, and marisol gives you a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder before doing the same. the usual dressing room chatter returns, and you gather your clothes to take a shower.

you shower runs a little long as you take the time to gather your thoughts. you were still nervous about the recoupling, but not as much as you had been earlier, thanks to bobby. the fight between him and lucas replayed in your head, and you couldn’t help but feel proud at how bobby was finally willing to fight for you and let everyone know that you were together. you wondered if he would ask you soon to become official, and you let your mind create a few fantasies about him asking you to be his girlfriend as you finish up.

when you step out of the shower, you find that the top you had picked out for the night had been replaced—with bobby’s favorite button-up t-shirt. you can’t help the huge smile that breaks out on your face as you hold it up. a note flutters to the floor as you do so, and you bend over to pick it up to read what it says.

_thought you might like to wear this tonight. you won it, fair and square._

there’s a goofy smiley face drawn below the words, and your heart swells. you quickly put your outfit on and are immediately surprised at how good it looks. you have the shirt tucked into your jeans and somewhat unbuttoned, so the curves of your breasts are slightly visible. you feel confident, not only because of how good you look, but also because of how reassuring the shirt is: no matter what happens at the recoupling, bobby wasn’t giving up on you.

you rush to the dressing room to quickly do your hair and makeup. unsurprisingly, no one is there, most likely because everyone finished getting ready while you were in the shower. once you’re done, you give yourself one last once-over in the mirror before heading out to the firepit. everyone has already gathered, with the boys sitting on the bench chatting while the girls are standing and huddled together.

you can see the back of bobby’s head as you strut out toward everyone. he seems to be chatting animatedly with gary. as lottie gives you a low whistle, gary nudges bobby and nods toward you. when bobby finally turns around, his eyes widen and move slowly down your frame, pausing a few times where his shirt is unbuttoned at your chest.

“sorry i’m late, everyone,” you say as you join the girls in front of the firepit. “had to make sure my outfit looked alright.”

“bobby, if you don’t couple up with her, i will,” marisol says, and everyone laughs. bobby can’t keep his eyes off you, and whenever you meet his gaze, he gives you a dopey smile. the blush on his face is so intense that you almost can’t see his freckles. you catch lucas’s eyes once, and he looks a little resigned and subdued.

someone’s phone goes off. “that’s me,” elisa says. she clears her throat before reading the text. “islanders, it’s time to recouple. the boys will choose, and the two girls not picked will not be dumped—” you here several breaths of relief at that. “—but will be vulnerable. the public has voted for which boy they want to go first. the boy recoupling first is…lucas.”

you feel the air leave your lungs as you squeeze your eyes shut briefly. this is exactly what you feared would happen, that lucas would go before bobby, and you would be forced to couple up with him yet again. you can feel your anxiety begin to pool in your stomach again. “well, this morning, i was pretty confident in who i was going to choose.” you hear chelsea mumble that he didn’t start his speech right, but she stops when lucas shoots her a look. “but now i know how much of a mistake that would’ve been. i thought i could turn that girl’s head,” he says, looking right at you, “but i know she’s found what she’s been looking for. and after seeing how much he cares about her today, there’s no way i could get in between that.”

you smile softly and mouth ‘thank you’, your nerves almost vanishing. he nods before continuing. “anyway, i want to couple up with this girl because she’s hot and she knows it. she’s also incredibly smart, and i’ve really enjoyed getting to know her so far. i want to see where this goes. so the girl i want to couple up with is…elisa.” you clap along with the other islanders as elisa joins him on the bench, giving him a kiss on the cheek as he holds her hand.

the recoupling continues. ibrahim chooses shannon, giving a heartfelt apology for what happened on his date with jo, and she offers him a rare smile in return. noah recouples with hope—no surprises there—and graham chooses marisol.

finally, bobby’s phone buzzes, and when he stands, he only has eyes for you. “i want to couple up with this girl because she’s the most amazing person that i’ve ever met. she’s absolutely stunning, and so much sweeter than anything i could ever bake.” you laugh and shake your head in slight disbelief that he thought you were sweeter than his baking. “there is truly no one i’d rather be with. she’s cool, smart, and never afraid to tell me when my jokes are horrible. i can’t wait to finally be in a couple with her again. so, the girl i want to couple up with is…” you’re so happy and relieved that you don’t even wait to hear him say your name before crossing over to him and kissing him. you try to pour all of your feelings into the kiss: your relief, happiness, gratitude, and maybe something a little like love. by the way his hands find the small of your back and hold you like he never wants to let go, you think he understands.

everyone cheers and claps as you kiss, and you’re so incredibly happy that you finally get to have your little fairytale moment on love island. unfortunately, the moment has to come to an end, and you sit down next to him, soaking in the feeling of finally being coupled up with who you wanted again.

gary finally stands with three girls looking back at him: lottie, chelsea, and jo. you already know that the decision is between the first two girls, and you truly have no idea who he’ll pick until he finally says lottie’s name. she gives chelsea a hug before sitting next to gary. she looks incredibly happy despite her efforts to remain cool and collected. chelsea and jo are still awkwardly standing but still look relieved that they’re not going home yet—you suspect that this means new boys might be coming soon, but you push that thought to the back of your mind to enjoy the present moment. people start breaking off into groups or with their couples and drift to different parts of the villa. bobby looks at you with a smile. “rooftop terrace?”

“rooftop terrace,” you respond in agreement. he takes your hand and leads you through the villa to the terrace. he sits, and you immediately sit next to him and snuggle into his side. “this has got to be my favorite spot in the entire villa.”

“mine too.” he pauses before looking at you with a grin, rubbing your shoulder. “actually, my favorite place is just with you.”

you smile and gently lean your forehead onto his. bobby softly brushes his nose against yours, and out of the corner of your eye, you can see his little dimple that makes you swoon. he finally presses his lips against yours, and you’re swept up in how tenderly he kisses you. “you’re incredible,” he whispers once you pull apart. you rest your head on his shoulder look up at the night sky.

“how many constellations do you think you can name?” you ask, pointing to the stars.

“oh, loads. i’m a total expert.” you take turns naming constellations. it becomes immediately clear that you know much more than he does, and once he runs out of ones that he knows, he starts making them up. “ah, see, that one over there,” he gestures vaguely with his hand, “is duckus maximus. it’s named that because the man who discovered it was absolutely obsessed with ducks. actually kind of a nut job, that one.”

you laugh before pointing to another point in the sky. “what about that one?”

bobby squints. “hm, now that’s an interesting one. as you can see, if you tilt your head to the left and squint reeeaaally hard,” he demonstrates, tilting his head completely and almost closing his eyes, “you can see that it actually looks like a man’s…appendage, we’ll say—”

you break into a fit of giggles and push him playfully. “you’re so gross, babe.”

“hey, don’t blame me, i’m just relaying the facts.” he’s smiling at you, proud that no matter how horrible his jokes are, he never fails to put a smile on your face.

the door to the terrace opens, interrupting the little world you’ve crafted with bobby. shannon pokes her head out. “just letting you two know that we’re all heading to bed.” she gives you a small, knowing smile before softly closing the door.

you look at bobby to find that he’s already gazing at you. “looks like you’ll have to tell me all about the other constellations later.”

“guess so. which one’s your favorite?”

you take a moment to think before answering. “got to be your freckles,” you say as you cup his cheek and brush your thumb over the freckles in question.

“that’s such a line,” he replies, but you can tell by the blush on his cheeks that he loved it.

“you asked,” you murmur before kissing him. it’s gentle and intimate, and when you pull back, your head feels heavy with how much you want to kiss him again. “one more?” he kisses you again. “one more.” and again. “okay, another one.” and again. “you know, you can say no to me.”

bobby brushes your hair behind your ear. “i know.” he presses his lips to yours again, and the kiss is drawn out and deep. once you pull back, you stand, waiting for him to do the same. instead, he stays seated and tugs at his shirt that’s still on your body. “by the way, you look good in this.” his gaze rests on your cleavage. “like, really good.”

you smile slyly before straddling him, effectively putting your chest directly in front of his face. “thanks, bobby.”

he coughs, almost unable to tear his gaze away. “yeah, can’t quite complain about this right now.” you nudge his chin upward with your hand before kissing him, more urgently than before. his hands immediately grip the curves of your hips, and you grind down into his lap—and then stand up.

“well, looks like we ought to be going to bed.”

bobby looks at you with desperate need. “and you said i was a tease. you’re killing me here.”

you shrug as you walk to the door. “looks like i’ll have to prove i’m not a tease…once we’re in bed, of course,” you say over your shoulder. he scrambles off the bench and follows you to the bathroom. and if both of you got a little sidetracked as you changed into your pajamas, well, who could blame you?

**Author's Note:**

> feedback is greatly appreciated! let me know what you think of this fic and this week's episodes--i'm so obsessed with this game and i want to talk about it all the time lmfao


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